When we first moved into our condo, we didn't have any furniture. Not even one little nightstand. When we left Damascus and set out on our hike, we decided to downsize all of our "stuff" and try to live with less. So when we returned to city life and resumed living in space larger than a tent, we purchased a new couch and a new bed, but decided to build or thrift shop for everything else (and only the things we really needed).

I searched around for a good nightstand for the bedroom, but everything I found was dated or too expensive so I decided to build one myself. I find the whole process of taking a pile of lumber and turning it into furniture fun and rewarding. And as a major bonus, you get the exact size and features you want for much less money.

The final dimensions for this nightstand were 16.25" D x 27.5" W x 27.25" H. I originally planned to have one big open space with no shelves, but when I built it that way, it looked funny. So I went back and added a shelf.

The cut list below is for the version with the shelf. The one in the picture (if you can see it) is for the version without the shelf, since that was what I originally drew up.

For a list of the tools I use and a look at my workshop, click here and here.

The first thing I do when I build is to make all of my cuts and lay them out to make sure they fit together the way I had hoped. Next I mark where all of the pocket holes and pilot holes will be with a pencil. If you're planning to stain, keep the pencil marks light so you don't see them through the stain.

Once I mark everything and double-check everything, I break out the Kreg Jig and drill bits to make all the pocket and pilot holes, respectively. Then I sand of the pieces (I used a power sander for the edges and a sanding block for the surfaces) and get ready to start building. The picture above shows my pieces, ready to go.

(Note, at this point I hadn't planned for the shelf so you don't see those pieces, I added those later when I decided to add them. For the shelf you will add an additional shelf and two additional shelf borders).

Use wood glue and clamps to add the shelf edges to the side panels.

Attach the legs to the side panels.

These are the resulting side panels.

Attach one of the shelves to the bottom of the side panels. If you are including a second shelf, add that as well.

Add the shelf borders to the front and back of each shelf and to the top of the table.

Add a shelf edge to the top of the table, to be used as a support for the tabletop.

To make the table top, join the tabletop edges to the table top, using pocket holes.

Use finishing nails and wood glue to attach the tabletop to the base unit.

Fill all of pocket holes with wood filler, let it dry then sand it off with a sanding block. Give the whole piece another light sanding, vacuum away any sawdust and then wipe with a damp rag to grab any last remaining dust.

The final step is prime and paint/stain your piece. I chose to use Behr paint in Distant Thunder to keep with the color scheme in our bedroom. I also made a taller version with 3 shelves to use as a bookcase. This plan is a simple and easy way to give yourself storage space on a budget.

If you like what you read, I would love to hear from you in the comments section! It's fun to get feedback and it helps me create future posts. And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS!

hey this nightstand looks awesome! our dog destroyed ours and i need a good project, so i'm goign to try this out. Will let you know how it turns out.
-andy

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Jill@atraillife.com

2/22/2014 02:09:08

Great! I would love to know how it goes! Happy building!

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I'm a Chicago girl who loves the outdoors and everything DIY. He's an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker and addicted to nature. Follow us as we share our experiences with home projects, recipes and hiking with our energetic Weimaraner, Rooney.